The present invention relates to the discovery of a new and distinct cultivar of dwarf hybrid blueberry plant botanically known as a hybrid of Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium darrowii and Vaccinium virgatum and herein referred to as ‘TO-1088’, as herein described and illustrated.
The new blueberry plant variety ‘TO-1088’ was selected in Griffin, Ga. in 2007. The ‘TO-1088’ variety was first asexually propagated by softwood cuttings in Griffin, Ga. in 2007. The resulting propagated plants were planted in field trials in 2009. The new variety ‘TO-1088’ ripens around late May in southern Georgia. The fruit of the new variety ‘TO-1088’ are small and dark with favorable scar. The new variety ‘TO-1088’ has good yield and is vigorous with an estimated chilling requirement of about 400-500 hours at or below 7° C.
Pedigree and history: ‘TO-1088’ was selected in 2007 at the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin, Ga., originating from an open pollinated cross of ‘MS-840’ (a non-patented breeding line) made by Dr. Scott NeSmith in 2007. ‘MS-840’ originated from a cross of ‘Bluecrisp’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,033)×‘Magnolia’ (a non-patented commercial variety). Both ‘Bluecrisp’ and ‘Magnolia’ are mostly Vaccinium corymbosum, but have V. darrowii and V. virgatum in their ancestry. Plants of this new variety have been tested in plantings at UGA Blueberry Research Farms in Alapaha and Griffin, Ga. since 2008. The selection was planted in ornamental trials at the Alapaha and Griffin, Ga. locations in 2011.